Newspapers

Thoughts, pesky little thoughts, can be like angry fire ants.  You don’t want to aggravate them.

2 Corinthians 10:5c – . . . and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ;

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The verses that lead to our Text for Today are instructions in the arena of spiritual warfare.  They are largely offensive in nature of warfare.  In our Text for Today, we read words of capture.  To capture something means you have taken the initiative to bring something under control.  This goes beyond the realm of influence.  And moving beyond the capture, we see that the control that is to be exerted is “obedience to Christ.”

I have written to you in the past concerning the power of thoughts, but I believe it important to bring the following point back to your remembrance.  Guard your thoughts, they become your words.  Guard your words, they become your actions.  Guard your actions, they become your habits.  Guard your habits, they become your character.  Guard your character, it becomes your legacy.  With those statements in mind, consider the following.

Josh Watson, former Chairman and CEO of Automatic Data Processing, Inc., says, “I’ve always tried to live with the following simple rule:  ‘Don’t do what you wouldn’t feel comfortable reading about in the newspaper the next day.’”  That, my friend, is some of the soundest counsel you will ever receive.  The Scriptures teach that we should do unto other as we would have them do unto us.  That is really the same counsel, just using different words. 

Think of this.  What if every act you committed today was published in tomorrow’s newspaper?  What if every  word you spoke today was published in tomorrow’s newspaper?   Consider the same question about every attitude you displayed, or every thought to which you gave any consideration.  The answer to each of those questions ties directly to the thoughts you entertain.  Please note, I said, “the thoughts you entertain.”  As a child, my mother would say to me, “You can’t stop birds from flying over your head, but you can keep them from nesting in your hair.”  She was talking about my thinking and choices.  Every sensory input you have provokes thoughts.  They may be in the form of memories, new ideas, or responses to various stimuli.  You CANNOT prevent thoughts from coming into your mind, BUT YOU CAN stop the process right there.  That is precisely what our Text for Today is referencing.  That is where your personal war for your spirit, soul, and body begins – in your mind as you handle the thought process.

This is why it is of such extreme importance for you to be a constant student of God’s Word, reading it daily, studying it daily, meditating upon it daily, always endeavoring to move forward and deeper in the work of renewing the mind.  The more renewed one’s mind, the more readily one will capture the thoughts that flood into the mind.  An uncaptured thought can be, and too often is, extremely dangerous, for it leads to impetuous actions, regretful words, costly actions, ruinous habits, damaged character, and an undesired legacy.

Manna for Today – 2 Corinthians 10:3-6; Ephesians 6:10-18; Colossians 1:16; Ephesians 1:15-23; James 3:6; Mark 4:26-28